Second Worst Mistake
by Ereandir
Summary: Spoilers! Oneshot, with a bit of flashbackKranna. Kratos and Phaidra have a mildly disconcerting conversation, after Colette receives the Oracle.


A/N: Namco owns Tales of Symphonia, no matter how much I adore this guy.

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Kratos stood at the window by the door of the Brunel house, one hand idly wrapped around the hilt of his sheathed sword, brown eyes watching the Chosen and her teacher heading down the street, in the direction of the older woman's house. From there, they would be going out into the forest to visit that boy from the Temple.

_Lloyd_. What a fine coincidence, that the young swordsman bore the same name… No, he wouldn't think about it. He had not descended again to brood about his past; he had a job to do. He would keep the girl alive until they reached the Tower of Salvation, so Yggdrasill could revive his sister and finally allow Kratos to die in peace.

Being on the surface again, and here of all places, caused the memories he had tried so hard to bury to re-emerge, kindling the embers of his old pain into white-hot torment. He wanted to end it, more than anything, but he could not leave the world as it was. _Only a few more weeks; a month or two at most._ What was such a short time compared to millennia?

Still, in agony, every moment was an eternity, and he could not afford to sink into the mindless stupor of the past fourteen years.

As though that thought had awakened his senses, he realized there were eyes focused on him. He turned slowly, to face the elderly woman, Phaidra, who was peering at him intently.

"…Yes?"

She blushed, lowering her gaze immediately. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to stare. I just thought…" She trailed off.

"Humph." He folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her to continue.

She smiled apologetically. "I was just wondering…have I, by any chance, see you before?"

"…" They _had_ passed through Iselia, on their way…_Don't think about it._

"I don't mean to be inquisitive, but we get very few visitors." She shook her head slowly. "I must be mistaken. You _do_ look familiar, though."

"…I have travelled all over Sylvarant," Kratos admitted. "But it's been…many years."

"Hmm," Phaidra said thoughtfully. "Of course! I remember now." She smiled warmly. "You spent a night in the village once, with that beautiful girl and the little boy. Your family, I imagine? Why, you stayed such a short time, I can't even recall their names…"

Anna and Lloyd Aurion. _Don't think about it._

"I recall when you left in the morning, the child was making such a fuss…"

Noishe hadn't come into the village, and Lloyd was pining for him. _Don't think…_

"…but when you lifted him onto your shoulders, he started laughing without a care in the world. Such a darling child."

Anna had laughed too, and despite the dark circles under her weary eyes, she was still the most beautiful… _Don't. Think. Don't…_

"How are they, anyway? Your family?"

He found himself clenching his sword. "…They're dead," he said coldly. _So much for not thinking._ He wanted to scream.

Phaidra covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh. Oh dear, I am so, _so_ very sorry," she mumbled. "Truly I am. I…" She gazed at him, tears in her eyes, at a loss for words.

Kratos forced himself to relax his grip. Turning back to face the window, he shrugged. "It was a long time ago." _Fourteen years, three months, six days…_ The numbers came unbidden.

The faint reflection in the window nodded, relieved but only slightly. After a moment, she spoke again, more to herself than to him, he assumed.

"Tragedy strikes so unexpectedly," she murmured under her breath. "Just like poor Lloyd…"

_Lloyd. _His…? No. She must have been referring to the boy he met earlier.

"…What of him?" he inquired, more as a distraction than out of any real curiosity.

"Hm?" She seemed surprised he had heard her. Of course, an ordinary human wouldn't have. "Oh. I was just thinking about the young man you met earlier, Lloyd Irving. He was raised out in the woods by Dirk Irving, the dwarf. You'll never meet a more loyal, kind-hearted person. Why, he befriended our Colette when there weren't any other children her age, and then of course young Genis…"

Kratos let the words wash over him, until… "What was that?" he interrupted.

"About Lloyd's mother, you mean? Yes, that's what I was getting at when I mentioned tragedy. Well, as far as we know it, both of his parents passed away. His mother, in an accident, when he was just a young thing, and his father, well, who knows? He was lucky Dirk found him, with so many monsters around… Oh, are you leaving?"

Kratos opened the door, not trusting himself to think, to even consider… "If there are monsters, the Chosen may need my protection."

_And I need to know I didn't make the worst mistake of my life._ Well, second worst, anyway. She would always be the first…

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A/N: And that's that. I hope you liked it. I especially hope that if you did like it, you'll review. Thanks a bunch!


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